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Thomas Walkom has a more realistic view of the Ukrainian crisis. There are plenty of questionable activities on both sides. Ukraine once intercepted the Russian pipeline to Europe and syphoned free gas for its own use in spite of already receiving a special, below-market price from Russia. Trustworthy?

Stephen Harper had previously agreed with the U.S. on non-interference yet, now, is so cock-sure of himself, he leans back in his comfortable chair, crosses his legs and assumes the demeanour of a venerable sage, while blaming Vladimir Putin for everything that’s wrong in the world.

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Talking about today’s insurgents as terrorists, yet blessing the insurgents who took over the country and installed non-elected Oleksandr Turshynov as president. It was that unelected president who stripped millions of Russian-Ukrainians of their language rights.

The U.S. has a gunboat in the Black Sea on Russia’s shore. NATO has moved menacingly eastward — far from its North Atlantic territory.

Harper should stop confiscating Canadian farmers’ agricultural land for military purposes and stop introducing laws (e.g. Bill C-23) detrimental to the country. Canadians deserve a better Prime Minister.

Roy Bohlender, Toronto

West’s good intentions being botched in Ukraine, Opinion April 15

Richard Gwyn’s article blames the West for not doing enough. He mentions the Ukraine’s scrapping of Russian as an official language as being “foolish.” How about downright confrontational?

Overthrowing a government because you do not like its policies is no way to run a democracy. The citizens of the Ukraine have brought this upon themselves.

It is not the West that botched the crisis. It is the Ukraine that botched their own democracy and now are reaping the consequences.

Russia took advantage of the situation but realize that a pro-Russian president was overthrown and replaced with near anarchy next to Russia’s border.

The Ukraine’s political reaction to an unpopular president and, as an example, Canada’s reaction to its separation crisis, highlights two very different views of democracy. Therein lies the reason for today’s crisis in the Ukraine.

David Gladstone, Toronto

Russia has strongly condemned the Ukrainian military’s suppression of the Ukrainian pro-Russian militants’ right to self-determination. However, the Russians are being very hypocritical, as in their modern history they have suppressed the right to self-determination of numerous peoples, including the former Russian republics, Eastern European countries, Chechnya and others, sometimes using brute force, like in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Chechnya and in slaughtering about 21,000 Polish intelligentsia during World War II.

Some might say then that regarding the Ukraine, Russia is speaking with a forked tongue.

Kenneth L. Zimmerman, Huntington Beach, CA

Neither Russia nor the West has shown good intentions in Ukraine; the only party that needs sympathy is the long suffering people of Ukraine. If only the Ukrainians knew how their country’s destiny would be turned into a game of politics by Russia, the West and the unwise Ukrainian extremists, they would never gamble their country’s well being over their pro-Western aspirations.

The West knew all along — or should have known — that Russia had its eye on the eastern part of Ukraine and it would be incapable of supporting Ukraine in the time of a serious crisis. So when the dispute was at its initial stage, instead of giving false hopes, it should have cautioned Ukraine and tried to come to a satisfactory resolution by all parties.

The EU was never economically or politically ready to embrace Ukraine but it had no courage to acknowledge it.

For Ukraine there is only one option left. It should stop thinking that the West would somehow miraculously save it from the Russian penetration into its territory. It will have to take the country’s destiny in to its own hands before it is too late.

It should start a direct conversation with Russia and the West while preparing the grounds for a referendum on the question of whether Ukraine should be a federation or not and be prepared with its consequences? This is not about Russia or the West; it is rather about saving Ukraine from a catastrophic break down.

Ali Orang, Richmond Hill

It’s an unnerving thought, but nuclear arsenals will likely be around for some time yet to come. That coupled with the current separatist tensions between Russia and Ukraine, the latter nation having inherited its readied laden silos from the collapsed U.S.S.R., is a scary scenario.

Although it should’ve already been developed and thoroughly tested (by the mid-1990s, in my opinion), now is the time for implementing an anti-missile defence shield.

Contrary to popular though ill-informed belief, the ground-to-air defense shield concept is quite plausible. Note the success of the Patriot batteries stationed around Israel during Desert Storm. They’d been barely developed with no practical testing, thus they had to be field tested during actual warfare.

If I recall correctly, only one Scud made it through the defense shield intact and another after being severely damaged, though both did not result in death, injury nor even notable damage. Had the system been shy of competent, let alone a failure, there’s no reason to believe that the nuclear-armed nation of Israel was bluffing when it promised to retaliate against Iraq if the Patriots failed to deliver and Israeli casualties were incurred.

Unfortunately, whatever small degree to which the U.S. has thus far developed its shield technology in actual hardware would only serve to intercept ballistic missiles targeting nations that are U.S. friendly or their protection is in U.S. interests.

That kind of act could motivate some nations – most worrisome being rogue nations such as the bizarre-behaviour North Korea via their Great Leader – to find other means to compensate for their new great disadvantage. For example, they could expand their nuclear arsenal while collaborating with their own friendly nations (however few) to achieve the means to overwhelm the biased anti-missile shield.

A good means of avoiding such dreary anti-productive measures-thus-counter-measures would be to ensure all interested ‘sides’ that the anti-missile defense shield would be independently programmed to intercept allairborne projectiles regardless of their origin. The system would monitor the planet’s air space and launch anti-missile defensive measures, equipped with latest computer-systems-hacking fail-safe technology.

The naysayers of such a universal defense shield should suggest other plausible ways through which to avoid nuclear-exchange devastation anywhere, let alone everywhere. As for those who say such a shield would be too expensive -- just how much is Earth and humanity worth?

Frank Sterle Jr., White Rock, B.C.

Canada’s contribution to resolving the Ukrainian crisis might be more effective by example than by arms. Canada offers an example of how two language groups have succeeded in inhabiting the same country.

A federal system of governance provides a means to serve collective interests undertaken by the national government, while local interests are served by provincial governments subject to national standard with institutions existing to enable equality to those moving from province to province and to maintain their distinctive language and culture.

The Kiev Post in 2002 wrote of “delegating powers to the local and regional levels, introduce true self government, and a real division of powers between the branches of power. Ukraine should consider federalism”

Pro-federalization activists have taken over government buildings across the 80 per cent Russian speaking eastern Ukraine. They are calling for referendums. In this they are supported by the general population An article “Berkut forces side with protesters as pro-federalization activists take over govt buildings across Eastern Ukraine” supported by video evidence there and elsewhere claims that “these are not as the Western media claims small isolated protests.”

Prime Minister Harper’s accusation that these actions are “Russia’s fresh attempts to destabilize Ukraine” is not supported by the evidence. Russia has, however, been arguing that a Ukraine with federal governance such as Canada’s would serve Ukrainians of both language groups best.

Canada could serve Ukraine and the world by presenting our example and pressing for it. Unfortunately such is not the case.

Eastern Ukrainian federalists are represented by Harper as terrorists inspired by Russia. Ukrainian government suppression of them is supported. He considers their actions copying what was done in Kiev, barricades and seizing buildings, by those who overthrew the elected president a day after an agreement was made for the future, as being started by Russia.

Because he sees eastern Ukrainians as Russian aroused rather than acting in their own interests he said, “When a major power acts in a way that is so clearly aggressive, militaristic and imperialistic this represents a significant threat to the peace and stability of the world and it’s time we all recognized the depth and the seriousness of that threat.”

Canada could be a peacemaker . Unfortunately Harper is acting as a powder monkey, fueling what may well lead to more than cannons going off.

Joe Hueglin, Niagara Falls

The alarming situation of Ukraine has prompted Prime Minister Stephen Harper to say, “This represents a significant threat to the peace and stability of the world.” This unfortunately seems to be the reality of today’s world.

Leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Mirza Masroor Ahmad wrote to Stephen Harper a few years ago about the current situation of the world. He stated, “If a path of equity and justice had been followed after the Second World War, we would not be witnessing the current state of the world today.” It is quite common to find larger nations suppressing and usurping the rights of smaller nations. This is against the principles of justice and equity.

Mirza Masroor Ahmad concluded his letter to our Prime Minster by saying, “My request to you, and indeed to all world leaders, is that instead of using force to suppress other nations, use diplomacy, dialogue and wisdom” As an Ahmadi Muslim, I pray that the world leaders can lead us out of this deteriorating situation so we can see peace emerge once again in Ukraine.

Luqman Ahmad, Mississauga

I don’t have any relatives in Ukraine but I do have some next door in Bucharest, Romania, and I suspect they are very nervous at this time. Russia is going to stop energy shipments to Ukraine. Ukraine used to get discounted oil and gas in return for leasing the naval base in Crimea. Since the Russian federation has invaded and occupied the Crimea they have reneged on the long-standing deal that once was.

What is needed ASAP, is either a lend lease program with Ukraine, installing wind turbines and solar panels through out the country, or a rental program that eventually gives them an alternate supply of fuel, maybe the energy power plants that use the wood pellets as a fuel.

Russia has reverted to its old ways and will stir up trouble among all of its neighbours. I suspect World War III is a lot closer than we think.

George Jardine, Stevensville

It seems Stephen Harper and company have successfully hollered and screamed loud and long enough about the Ukraine to drive the world price of oil through the roof. Now Canada reaps the profit. All we need now is the pipelines to be approved so, again, we profit by essentially doing nothing except digging stuff out of the ground and selling it.

Wayne Snyder, Ripley

It looks very much as if Mr. Harper is out for votes from the Canadian Ukrainians. Canada and the U.S. have very little to do with a potential civil war in a country that only became an independent since the 1990s.

If anything it maybe a European problem, but is looks like they have little interest to get mixed up in another war.

The Ukraine was for centuries part of Russia, Poland and some other countries and has hardly ever been independent before.

This is a problem the people of the Ukraine will have to sort it out themselves, preferably in a peaceful way rather than with a civil war.

Anthony ten Kortenaar, Toronto

Economic sanctions against Russia will fail. Western diplomats have no understanding of human psychology, and are backing the wrong horse. Putin has zero concern for the welfare of his people. He will ruthlessly pursue his dream to re-establish the Russian empire; no matter the pain to the people.

The only path, apart from outright war, is to de-stabilize Russian itself. We must raise the spectre of Czar Vladimir. He lives like a Czar; he rules like a Czar; he punishes like a Czar. Is that what the Russian people want?

Do they want him to continue on his present path until he morphs into Vladimir the Terrible?

Putin’s worst fear is loss of power at home. He would, if need be, send in the Cossacks on his own people. Many Russians already know this. We must make sure they all do.

Peter Weygang, Bobcaygeon

According to press reports, the majority of Russian-speaking people in eastern Ukraine do not want to be part of Russia, but are asking for the formation of a federal state in the Ukraine, not part of the EU. This also appears to be what Russia wants.

According a Wikipedia article, there are 26 federal states in the world, including most notably the U.S., Canada, Germany, Australia, and Switzerland. Some of these are among the countries most loudly condemning the Russian-speaking protesters in east Ukraine. I don’t understand why a federation is OK for these countries but not for the Ukraine. I fear that a violent crackdown by the Ukrainian government may force Russia to intervene, whether or not they really want to.

This could quite likely lead to the first war involving Russia and Western powers since 1945, with millions (or perhaps billions in a nuclear war) dying as a result. Is this really worth the difference between a unitary and federal state?

J.M. McNamee, Wilberforce

On behalf of many Russians I feel obliged to say that there are thousands of individuals in our country, both men and women, who are decent, honest, well-educated and quite civilized, talented who tend to think independently of state propaganda and who fervently share internationally recognized values like democracy, freedom of speech, justice, tolerance, charity and compassion.

We do not applaud Putin and his regime neither for his actions in Crimea and his aggressive remarks and his confrontation with the West, nor for his abuse of human rights, his campaign against NGOs, nor for his disgusting campaign against Westerners to adopt Russian orphans. In fact we are deeply ashamed. We are not all in prison, at least not yet.

There are quite many people in Russia who share these values and are in opposition to Putin and his regime. I think that any country in the world may be proud to have similar individuals among its citizens, but apparently not modern Russia. To my regret, as the recent opinion has demonstrated, 77 per cent of Russians at the moment are prepared to vote for Putin if we had a presidential elections today. That is a real shame but that is a sad fact.

There are other troubling facts. Putin’s regime is not legitimate. We don’t have an independent Parliament. Many people are aware that votes in both presidential and parliamentary elections were massively manipulated and miscalculated. We don’t have a real political opposition, just an illusion of its existence. We don’t have and independent court system. All politics are directly controlled and influenced by Kremlin. There is no freedom of speech with mass media equally controlled and manipulated by Kremlin. An overwhelming part of Russians are influenced by aggressive and corrupted machine of state propaganda.

In my view, the major problem with Western sanctions over Russia’s illegal actions in Crimea and apparently forthcoming and inevitable invasion into Ukraine is that Putin and Kremlin would not just ignore them. It seems those sanctions are more than welcome since Putin would use them in public to support his aggressive actions and to present them domestically as a proof that Russia has been allegedly surrounded by vicious enemies. I am confident Putin and Kremlin have thought about sanctions well in advance when they prepared a well-conceived plan of actions.

I am certain that with a potential new phase of the world economic and financial crisis looming “around the corner” and envisaged decreasing dependence of Europe on energy supplies from Russia Putin and his regime think they need to instigate hostilities and a military conflict that eventually might lead to a new world war (this time it would be a nuclear world war).

I am sure they have envisaged these aggressive plans not just for the sake of new territories and valuable assets. The main purpose is to divert attention of the Russians from the fact that for years Putin and colleagues as well as his regime in general have been using their office for personal enrichment stealing money and assets on massive scale and abstained from implementing political and economic reforms that the country really needed. The war would be used to eradicate any signs of doubt not to mention anyone who may be opposed to state policies.

Thus, what in my view could be done (if anything at all) to stop Putin and Kremlin if they could ignore any western sanctions in the environment of no political opposition on the scene, with no independent media and with the majority of the Russians falling victims to aggressive state propaganda that applaud Putin’s plans and aggressive public bravado ?

I am convinced that there is only one group, one force that has purpose. Only you Western journalists (for the obvious reasons not your Russian colleagues) can and should make the difference. It is not the fate of Russia only, or its neighbouring independent states that are at stake today. In case you really wish to prevent the world (including your own native countries) from sliding into the nightmare that we are all approaching you need to show to the public (obviously your public to begin with but the Russians would become equally aware at some point) that:

—Putin himself and his close team, government officials, politicians, police and intelligence top officers, judges used their official positions for their own illegal enrichment;

—Putin and Kremlin violated laws on due election procedures, manipulated and miscalculated vote count and for that reason are illegitimate to hold their positions;

—Politics in Russia and mass media is directly controlled and influenced by Kremlin, as well as police and judges;

—All Russian oligarchs and business tycoons as well as smaller businessmen are equally directly controlled by Kremlin with Putin himself and the state in general have been acting for many years as a well-organized and structured gang of racketeers;

—Putin, Kremlin and Gazprom have been actively using lobbing and energy supplies to Europe as their tools of political coercion.

I am aware that these issues have been already addressed in Western media. For example, as the Financial Times estimated several years ago Putin and his family had amassed a fortune of more than $130 billion. The estimate has only increased.

But this time it should be a massive and much more detailed public publicity campaign producing information on transactions, amounts bank accounts, offshore heavens, etc. Ideally, that public campaign initiated by press should prompt western states to freeze and block any bank account, any asset that might be directly or indirectly controlled by Putin and his regime IRRESPECTIVE of whether Russia would eventually invade into Ukraine in the nearest future. Putin himself, Medvedev, Sechin, Miller and many others should find themselves in a middle of a public spotlight.

For example, it should be shown why Russian commercial bank “Russia” has been chosen recently as a target for western sanctions. How in particular, this banking institution that was virtually unknown in Russia and abroad for years has become one of the leading banks in Russia? It should be equally shown how Roman Abramovich’s Millhouse LLC is connected with Putin’s personal finances. How Putin has obtained (directly or indirectly) all those assets, how Igor Sechin and other close friends and colleagues fit into the process? What is the role of Gazprom and Alexey Miller in enriching Putin and other top Russian government officials and politicians?

I somehow doubt that either Putin or any other od his close colleagues would dare to take any legal action due to allegations since they would be afraid that the allegations might be proved in a western court. Equally I doubt they would dare to stand at trial and to attend any court hearing in the West.

Only a revelation of shocking details by western media (in a series of publications) may substantially decrease Putin’s power and influence in Russia. With the whole world and with many Russians being aware of the massive criminal activities of Putin and his team, the Russian state machine that is now illegally led by a gang of criminals, would eventually start to crumble.

So, western sanctions won’t stop Putin, western politicians won’t prevent aggressive actions envisaged by Putin and Kremlin, western politicians won’t placate Putin. He is Stalin of our generation. Putin has not yet killed millions. Although he is already responsible for thousands of deaths (first of all in Chechnya, in several apartments that were blown up in September of 1999 and in Beslan school hostage tragedy of 1st of September of 2004). Many people were illegally imprisoned on false charges. Putin don’t care on a number of casualties or a misery he would cause. He surely has his own evil-minded agenda. You should not forget that he was (he is still?) a KGB officer. You just can’t expect his mentality has really changed. Yes, KGB has changed its name but not the substance and not its mentality and purpose. Putin’s state machine is not yet running at a full steam. There would be a lot more deaths and imprisonments in the near future.

I do sincerely hope that you may save us all. It is not an overstatement.

Victor Borodulin, Moscow

Does Ottawa really care what happens to Ukraine, Opinion April 11

This article by Irvin Studin is both amusing and appalling. In spite of the academic credentials of the gentleman, he shows a very limited knowledge of recent events in Ukraine. If he were to follow the events, he would find that “Pravy Sector” joined the people’s revolution at the very end of opposition; they also were almost non-visible at that time.

Furthermore, although they are truly the most rightist of the revolutionaries, they constitute about 1 per cent of support in Ukraine; hardly a force.

How does Mr. Studin know the extent of their armament? If one considers sidearms, guns, batons, Molotov cocktails and rifles, this is hardly strong enough against the 40,000 Russian troops settled on the border of east Ukraine.

The writer is bemoaning the “illegal” election of the temporary government, although he seems conveniently to forget Russia’s illegal break of UN Constitution, the Budapest Accord, etc., in annexing Crimea.

Mr. Sudin, your bias is showing.

Bohdan I. Shulakewych, Toronto

I was truly shocked by the malice and willful ignorance shown in this article. No mention is made of the fact that the Maidan revolution deposed one of the most corrupt regimes that flaunted all constitutional laws, violated human rights by selective prosecution, amassed vast illegal fortunes and brought the economy of the country to ruin.

To add absurdity, the article suggests that “Russia … knows Ukraine far better than any other country,” implying that it was justified in illegally annexing Crimea. The author would also have you believe that the existence of a small and relatively insignificant group known as the Right Sector somehow implies that the current government of Ukraine is less democratic than the despotic ruler of Russia.

Knowing several of the cabinet members personally and the overall composition of the Provisional Government, this assertion is absolutely false. The Canadian government, in supporting the freedom loving people of Ukraine, is fully in step with the rest of the world, which recognizes Putin for the potential threat to world peace he represents.

The article illustrates the pervasive disinformation the Russian regime tries to disseminate even in the halls of academia.

Basil Kalymon, Professor Emeritus, Ivey School of Business, London, ON

It is hard to know where to begin dealing with Ivan Studin’s half-truths and blatant untruths in his slickly-written commentary about Ukraine. For starters, nobody “overthrew” or “ousted” Victor Yanukovych and his criminal associates, who were gradually transforming Ukraine into a Mafia-run vassal state of Putin’s neo-Soviet Russian Federation.

Yanukovych and his fellow kleptocrats grabbed what they could carry and fled the country of their own accord, catching the opposition and the protest movement by surprise — which helps to explain some of the chaos that followed.

It is equally ludicrous to credit Pravy Sektor for escalating the violence unleashed on the Maidan by the regime (after two months of massive, disciplined and peaceful protests), or to attribute any great influence to their small and dubious membership.

Nobody should be fooled by Mr. Studin’s opinion piece, which reads like Kremlin propaganda and casts serious doubts as to his supposedly professional credentials.

Irvin Studin questions the legitimacy of the current interim government of Ukraine, which is at variance with Canada’s official position, but coincides more or less with that of the government of Russia. Yet, the current Ukrainian government that came to power did so only after the elected president, Viktor Yanukovych, fled to Russia, which with his blessing subsequently occupied and annexed Crimea and continues to threaten to invade Ukraine’s mainland.

Bearing in mind that any country’s leader has to first of all fulfil his duties, obey the constitution, and work to defend and protect his country, does Mr. Studin suggest that Mr. Yanukovych still retains some legitimacy?

Moreover, the interim government was installed following a vote in parliament that constituted a constitutional majority. It has also announced new elections for president on May 25. In a revolutionary situation, this seems to be about as legitimate as it can get.

Bohdan Klid, Assistant Director, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of Alberta, Edmonton

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